Birdlife

The robin is the bravest and cheekiest of our avian visitors. There's a number of robins, and they are busy sorting out their territories at the moment I think, to judge by their stand-offish behaviour to each other.  This one found a lovely juicy caterpillar as we cleared the paths of leaves.

Other than Mr/Mrs or Ms Robin, N noted these birds at the allotment on Sunday:

Ring-necked parakeet   (many!)

Crow    (ditto)

Starling  (ditto, roosting)

Goldcrest  (one)

Great tit  (several)

Blue tit  (several)

Long-tailed tit  (many)

Wood pigeon (several. Overheard co-oing, "Non-netted brassicas eh? Nom, Nom, Nom")

Mistle thrush (a pair)

Herring gull (Don't ask me how many they all look like seagulls to me- Ed)

Black-headed gull (Ditto)

Magpie (3- for a girl)

Chaffinch (several)

Robin (several)

The noisiest are the parakeets. The cutest is the goldfinch! 



On the subject of wildlife this flower gives really welcome nectar over winter to any bees, wasps or flies which are still around. It's from quite a thuggish shrub called Fatsia Japonica or False Castor Oil Plant.  In our small garden we cut it back hard in the Spring so it doesn't take over, but it really earns its place come Autumn/ Winter for the insects,  and the dried flower heads look nice in a jar in the house.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardens/Wisley/About-Wisley/Plant-of-the-month/November/Fatsia-japonica